LICIACube

Overview

LICIACube – the Light Italian Cubesat for Imaging of Asteroids - is a space mission of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), and will be part of the NASA DART mission, whose aim will be the first real scale test of the kinetic impact technique for planetary defense purposes. DART spacecraft has been developed by the APL (Applied Physics Laboratory) of the Johns Hopkins University. The main aim of the DART mission is to modify by a measurable quantity the orbit around its primary body of Dimorphos, a natural satellite of the asteroid (65803) Didymos. LICIACube will be hosted as secondary spacecraft during the interplanetary cruise, released around 10 days before the impact and utilizing an autonomous navigation system to witness the DART impact, capturing images in the aftermath.

Key facts

Payload

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Reach

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Speed

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Weight

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IP rating

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Battery

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Power

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Autonomy

fully autonomous

Launch year

2021

Price

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Status

active